Sebelius Departure from HHS Will Have Negligible Effect on HIT

With all the problems that have plagued the rollout and operation of the federal exchange website Healthcare.gov, the announcement that Kathleen Sebelius has decided to resign as Secretary of Health and Human Services makes perfect sense. Sebelius is trying to leave on a "high note," timing her resignation with the end of open enrollment on March 31, which marked the milestone of an estimated 7.5 million Americans having signed up for healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

During her five-year tenure, Sebelius presided over a government behemoth at HHS, helping to usher in a host of new programs expected to improve the quality and efficiency of care. President Obama in 2009 signed the HITECH Act to lay the ground work for an information technology infrastructure to support health reform, which came a year later through the Affordable Care Act.